Palestine recognition a matter of ‘when, not if’, says Chalmers, as Canada takes next step

3 months ago 16

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has welcomed growing international momentum for recognising a Palestinian state, but insists the Albanese government will do so on its own timeline, after Canada became the latest Australian ally to declare it would make the call at a United Nations meeting in September.

As like-minded democracies move towards recognition of Palestinian statehood, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had a call with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss the situation overnight, a day after the United Kingdom’s major foreign policy shift.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has given the strongest indication yet that Australia will recognise a state of Palestine.

“The leaders agreed on the importance of using the international momentum to secure a ceasefire, the release of all hostages and the acceleration of aid, as well as ensuring Hamas did not play a role in a future state,” an Australian government spokesperson said about the call.

The Albanese government has not rushed to follow France, the UK and now Canada in outlining its timeline for acknowledging Palestinian statehood, despite signalling it will recognise Palestine eventually.

Albanese is under mounting pressure from rank-and-file members and parts of the Labor caucus to join his international counterparts and add to global momentum. Former frontbencher Ed Husic this week said there was “deep feeling” on the issue among his Labor colleagues and argued there was a moral imperative for Australia to take immediate steps towards recognition.

At the same time, Albanese has continued to meet with Jewish Australian groups in parliament and assured them recognition was not imminent. The federal opposition has also cautioned that there should be no conversation about recognition while Hamas still controlled Gaza and held Israelis hostage.

Chalmers on Thursday morning reiterated that Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong would respond formally in due course. “From a personal point of view, I welcome this momentum, this progress that’s been made in the international community,” he said on Sky News.

“From an Australian point of view, recognition of the State of Palestine is a matter of when, not if. And so in that light, this progress, this momentum that we’re seeing is welcome, but it’s also conditional.”

He said Australia and Canada agreed that there could be no role for Hamas in the future leadership of a Palestinian state. “We need to make sure that the hostages are released,” Chalmers said.

“I think there are good reasons why the prime minister yesterday at his press conference about this was reluctant to put a timeframe on it.”

Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek also repeated the Albanese government’s conditions when pressed on Thursday morning.

“We want to make sure that our recognition is more than just a gesture, that actually we do it at the right time in the right way, in a way that contributes to peace,” she said on Sky News.

But Plibersek said Australia’s resistance to follow the lead of France, the UK and Canada was not a rebuke of their decisions.

“These are large countries that play a significant role on the international stage,” she said.

“I think the number of countries each laying out their timetable, their conditions, their reasons does contribute to the international debate… It’s the international community saying what’s happening now is not good enough. We want to see change, we want to see it immediately.”

Canada’s decision to recognise Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in September, announced on Thursday (AEST), was predicated on the Palestinian Authority committing to “much needed reform”, Carney said, including general elections in 2026 in which Hamas could play no part.

It also requires a demilitarised Palestinian state, Carney said. As part of that, he pledged to increase Canada’s efforts to support democratic governance in Palestine.

The UK on Wednesday (AEST) also declared it would recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agreed to a ceasefire, a two-state solution, and an end to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Starmer’s decision came under sustained political pressure from his MPs. It followed French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement last week.

A White House official said United States President Donald Trump was focused on getting food to the people of Gaza and did not believe in rewarding Hamas by recognising a Palestinian state.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has attacked the push for recognition of Palestine, saying Starmer was appeasing Hamas, which is a listed terrorist group in Australia. “Starmer rewards Hamas’s monstrous terrorism & punishes its victims,” Netanyahu posted on social media.

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